Grand National Walleye Cup Kicks Off Iowa Circuit at Little River
By Steve Weisman
GNWC Publicity Director
Teams competing in the Iowa circuit of Grand National Walleye Cup (GNWC)
are making final preparations for the Sunday, April 13 opener at Little
River. Little River is a unique southern Iowa no-wake impoundment that
includes a variety of structure accompanied by a good walleye population.
GNWC director Bernie Barringer had this to say about the Iowa circuit.
“It is exciting to continue the team tournament concept in Iowa. We have
provided this for years through the Iowa Walleye Tournament Trail, and now
we can offer teams even more exciting opportunities with the Grand National
Cup.”
According to Barringer, competing teams should be at south boat ramp on
Little River between 6-6:30 Sunday morning to sign in and participate in
mandatory boat inspections. The tournament hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Weigh-in commences precisely at 3 p.m., with awards to follow. “Although
they have to pay a late fee, teams can still sign up on Sunday morning. Just
show up at the Landing, and we’ll take care of the paperwork.”
For its inaugural season, the GNWC will feature five events each in five
states: Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Each state
will have four qualifying events followed by a State Championship. The entry
fee is $210 per team for all events with an 80 percent payback. Also, $10 of
the entry fee will go to an enhanced fishing conservation fund that goes
directly back to enhance that state’s fishery.
In addition, there is the chance to become a National team eligible for
advancement to the National Championship. “To be eligible, the team must put
$100 into the National Championship pot before the first event in their
region,” added Barringer.
A total of 100 National Championship teams will be invited to fish in
the National Championship. “In this first year only, we will take the top 20
National Teams from each region. At this point, there is a great opportunity
to advance to the National Championship in all of the states,” added
Barringer. “I really look forward to seeing both teams who have been with
the IWTT and newcomers who are interested in trying the Grand National Cup
when we kick things off at Little River.”
Interested anglers can also call 1-800-890-3474, email the GNWC at
[email protected] or get on the GNWC website at walleyecup.com to catch up
on updated information from all five states.
Major sponsoring partners for the GNWC include Ranger Boats, Mercury
Outboards, Berkley, Abu-Garcia and UpNorthOutdoors.com.
Listed below are the Iowa circuit dates and locations:
Tournament: Little River
Date: April 13
Location: South Ramp
Host Lodging: Little River Motel (fills fast)
Hwy 2 & 69, Leon
641-446-4884
Host Bait Shop: One Stop Malt Shop
Hwy 2, Decatur City
641-446-8411
Additional lodging: Chief Lamoni Motel, Super-8 in Lamoni
Tournament: Clear Lake
Date: May 4
Location: McIntosh Woods
Host Lodging: Lake Country Inn
2 Miles West of I-35 on Hwy 18
888-357-2185
http://www.netmation.com/lci
Host Bait Shop: Dome Bait
Ventura Bay
641-829-4418
Tournament: Okoboji
Date: May 25
Location: Hwy 9 Ramp
Host Lodging: Super 8
Hwy 9 West, Spirit Lake
712-336-4901
Host Bait Shop: Kabele’s Trading Post
504 Hill Ave, Spirit Lake
712-336-1512
http://www.vacationokoboji.com
Tournament: Mississippi River, Prairie du Chien
Date: Sunday, June 22
Location: Villa Louis
Host Lodging: AmericInn
Hwy 18 West Praire du Chien
800-634-3444
Championship: Clear Lake
Date: Sept. 13-14
National Championship: Lake Okoboji
Date: October 9-11
Location: The Okoboji chain of lakes in Northwest Iowa
More Info: Okoboji Tourism http://www.vacationokoboji.com